Splinting method, splint and strap

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a method of splinting and a splint (1) movable between a folded transport configuration and an extended operational configuration. Straps (10, 20 and 80) to bind the splints to a patient&#39;s body are also disclosed. The invention is particularly applicable to splinting broken femurs, however, upper arm, lower arm, lower leg and other fractures can also be immobilized. The straps (10, 20 and 80), splints (1) and any securing devices such as buckles (13) or pegs (82) can be accommodated in a convenient carry pouch or bag (85).

The present invention relates to a method of splinting and to splints,splint securing straps, and first aid kits for fractures. Whilst thepresent application finds particular application to the splinting offractured femurs, many aspects of the present invention are not limitedthereto.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Fractured femurs often arise as a result of motor bike accidents, andalso from military accidents and wounds such as those generated byClaymore mines and bullet wounds to the thigh. Irrespective of whetherthe fractured femur arises as a result of civilian or militaryendeavors, there is no really effective practical method of safelysplinting the fracture to enable the patient to be transported from theside at which the fracture occurred, to hospital. Clearly the purpose ofany splint is to immobilize the fracture, however, the main problem withfractured femurs appears to be preventing rotation of the leg about alongitudinal axis passing through the leg.

BACKGROUND ART

One prior art method of splinting a femur fracture is to use a singlerigid splint, such as a broomstick, which extends between the armpit andankle of the patient. The patient's leg is bound to the broomstick andthen the patient is transported to hospital on a stretcher or the like.Whilst in some circumstances this method may be satisfactory for distalfractures (that is those away from the pelvis and therefore adjacent theknee), this prior art method is not very satisfactory for proximalfractures (those which are near the pelvis).

An alternative arrangement is the so called Thomas splint which appliesa frame to the torso of the patient and also applies longitudinaltraction to the lower leg. This splint is a relatively expensiveappliance and is substantially bulky. Therefore although the splint maybe of some use for ambulance officers, for example, transporting anelderly patient to hospital after a fall where the nature of theinjuries are known before the ambulance departs from its base, thissplint is of little use as a first aid measure in emergency situationssuch as motor vehicle accidents or military accidents/wounds.

A further device is the so called Mast suit which comprises a pair oftrousers into which the legs of the patient are inserted. The trousersare then inflated so as to form a rigid enveloping structure. This suitsuffers from a number of disadvantages in that firstly the legs of thepatient need to be he-d apart. Thus this suit is not able to be usedwith the Thomas splint or the other above described conventional splintswhere the "good" leg is used in the splinting arrangement. Furthermore,the Mast suit pushes blood back into the upper part of the body and insome circumstances this can be disadvantageous to the patient.

As a consequence of the above described problems with splinting, itsometimes happens that first aid personnel apply plaster to the leg ofthe patient at the site of the accident before moving the patient. Thishas two major disadvantages. Firstly it is extremely difficult inemergency situations such as arise as a result of military wounds wherethe patient may well be under fire, in darkness, or the like. Secondly,once the plastered patient has been transported to hospital, the plastermust then be removed before further treatment is able to be commenced.This is a painful and time consuming procedure and therefore to beavoided if possible.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method ofsplinting a patient having a leg with a fracture of the femur. A furtherobject of the present invention is to provide a splint which is able tobe folded and therefore able to be carried conveniently in a first aidkit, or the like, so as to be readily available in emergency situations.A still further object of the present invention is to provide a splintsecuring strap for use with the splint of the present invention, orconventional splints, and which is able to be applied with ease so as toresult in a secure job. A still further object of the present inventionis to provide a first aid kit incorporating foldable splints and splintsecuring straps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is discloseda method of splinting a patient having a leg with a fracture of thefemur, said method comprising the steps of straightening said leg ifnecessary, positioning three substantially rigid splints to extendbetween substantially the ankle of said leg and the armpit region ofsaid patient, arranging said splints to lie at the vertices of atriangle when said leg is viewed in transverse cross-section, andsecuring said splints so arranged to the body of said patient.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is discloseda foldable splint comprising four tubes which are able to belongitudinally aligned and abutted to form said splint, those ends ofsaid tubes abutting another tube end when so aligned, having a mutuallyco-operative engagement means whereby said abutting tube ends can beengaged when so aligned to make said splint substantially rigid; and aflexible resilient member extending through the interior of said tubesand secured to the opposite end tubes of the aligned tubes, saidflexible resilient member urging said tubes into engagement when saidtubes are longitudinally aligned, and flexing to permit said tubes whendis-engaged to be folded to lie substantially alongside each other, eachof said tubes being of substantially equal length and said lengthcorresponding to the distance between wrist and elbow of an adult male.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is discloseda splint securing strap comprising a pliant base strap having two ends,at least one splint receiving aperture formed in said base strap, and ahook means located adjacent one of said strap ends and engageable withsaid strap to form said strap into a loop having a length determined bythe portion of said strap selected to be engaged with said hook means.

Preferably the location of the hook means is adjustable to provideadjustment of the loop length. Preferably the splint receiving aperturesare formed by a second strap overlying at least a portion of the basestrap and secured thereto intermediate the spaced apart locations.Alternatively an extended aperture can be used to receive a plurality ofsplints. Preferably the base strap is hollow and inflatable.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there isdisclosed a first aid kit for fractures, said kit comprising a pluralityof the above described splints and a plurality of the above describedstraps.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described withreference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the splint of the preferred embodimentin the extended, operational configuration,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, to an enlarged scale, of the splint ofFIG. 1 in the folded transport configuration,

FIG. 3 is an expanded perspective view of one end of the splint of FIGS.1 and 2,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a splint securingstrap in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but of a second embodiment of asplint securing strap,

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI--VI of FIG. 5but illustrating the splint securing strap of FIGS. 5 and 6 in theinflated condition,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a patient illustrating how three of thesplints of FIGS. 1 to 3 can be utilized together with straps asillustrated in FIG. 4 in order to splint a fractured femur,

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a splint of FIG. 7 in cross-sectionpassing through one of the splint securing straps,

FIG. 9 is a transverse cross-sectional view through a limb illustratingone method of using the inflatable splint securing strap of FIGS. 5 and6,

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a patient having a broken forearmsplinted by means of the splint of FIGS. 1 to 3 and the strap of FIG. 4,

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a patient having a fractured upper armsplinted using the apparatus of FIGS. 1 to 4,

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 10 but illustrating one possiblesplinting of the lower leg,

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a splint securingstrap,

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the strap of FIG. 13 and a similar, but longerstrap,

FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view showing how the straps of FIGS.13 and 14 can be secured by means of a peg,

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of straps of the embodiment of FIGS. 13-15which together with splints and pegs can be placed into a first aid bag,

FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view showing how two splint end tubescan be connected to a cross bar for pushing straps under a patient,

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but utilizing the straps of FIGS.13-15,

FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative lower limbsplinting method,

FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating how the bag of FIG. 16 can beused as a neck brace,

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an ankle tensioning strap, and

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the strap of FIG. 21 in use.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Turning now to FIGS. 1 to 3, the splint 1 of the preferred embodiment isillustrated and is formed from four tubes 2-5. It will be apparent thattubes 2 and 5 are opposite end tubes whilst tubes 3 and 4 areintermediate tubes. As seen in FIG. 1, the splint 1 is in its extended,rigid, operational configuration.

However, as seen in FIG. 2 the splint 1 is able to be folded so as to beplaced in a compact transport configuration.

As also seen in FIG. 2 a rod 6 is secured to one end of all the tubesother than tube 2 so as to form a means of inter-engaging the tubes 2-5.The rod 6 is hollow and has an outside or external diametersubstantially equal to the internal diameter of the hollow tubes 2-5.The rods 6 are partially inserted within the tubes 2-5 and securedthereto by any conventional means such as blind rivets (notillustrated).

A flexible resilient filament 7, preferably formed from fabric coveredrubber, extends between the opposite ends of tubes 2 and 5 and issecured thereto at end caps 8 as illustrated in FIG. 3. It will beapparent that the flexible filament 7 permits the tubes 2-5 to be foldedinto the transport configuration illustrated in FIG. 2. The tubes 2-5must be bound together in this configuration by means of a restraint(not illustrated) such as a rubber band or tie string. When therestraint is released, the inclination of the filament 7 to beunstretched results in the tubes 2-5 being urged to longitudinally alignthemselves. It is then a relatively easy matter for each rod 6 to beinserted into the open adjacent end of the adjacent tube. In this way,the tubes 2-5 are converted into the operational configurationillustrated in FIG. 1.

Furthermore, because of the simplicity of the above describedarrangement, the conversion can easily take place in the dark and underdifficult conditions such as may be experienced by the military underfire.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a splint securing strap 10 for use with thesplint 1 of FIGS. 1 and 2 (or with conventional splints such as a lengthof wood) is illustrated in FIG. 4. The strap 10 is formed from pliantstrong material such as fabric webbing and comprises a base strap 11having a narrower extension strap 12 secured thereto by any convenientmeans such as sewing. The free end of the extension strap 12 carries abuckle 13 which is able to be secured to the strap 12 at any adjustablelocation. The buckle 13 is provided with a hook 14.

Secured to one side of the base strap 11 is a securing strap 15 alsoformed from webbing. The strip 15 is secured at spaced apart locations16 to the base strap 11 by any convenient means such as sewing so as toform a number of spaced apart apertures 17.

Preferably secured along one outer edge of the base strap 11 is anelongated pocket 50 the function of which will be described hereafter.

As schematically illustrated in FIG. 4 by means of the arrow, the hook14 of the buckle 13 is able to be placed through any selected one of theapertures 17 so as to engage the hook 14 with the strip 15. In this way,a loop of selected predetermined length is formed. By sliding theextension strap through the buckle 13, the length of the loop can beadjusted.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a second embodiment of a splint securing strap20 in accordance with the present invention. The strap 20 of FIGS. 4 and5 is provided with extension strap 12, buckle 13 with hook 14, andsecuring strap 15 as before.

However, as best seen in FIG. 6 the strap 20 is provided with aninflatable base strap 21 which is preferably formed from fabric coveredrubber such as is used in inflatable air beds. The base strap 21 istherefore hollow and is provided with a stopper 22 through which air canbe introduced into, and extracted from, the interior 23 of the basestrap 21. This is preferably done by blowing exhaled air into theinterior 23.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate how the apparatus of FIGS. 1 to 3 is used tosplint a patient having a broken femur. The patient 30 has his left leg31 broken at the femur (not illustrated). If necessary the left leg 31is straightened and the right leg 32 placed alongside as illustrated inFIG. 7. Three splints 33, 34 and 35 are placed into the operationalconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 1. Five of the straps 10 illustratedin FIG. 3 and designated 41 to 45 are loosely placed around the body ofthe patient 30 in the positions illustrated. Thus strap 41 is placedaround the upper chest, strap 42 is placed around the waist, strap 43 isplaced around the upper thigh of the fractured left leg 31, strap 44 isplaced around the knee of the left leg 31 and strap 45 is placed aroundthe ankle of the left leg 31.

The three splints 33-35 are then slid through selected ones of theapertures 17 so as to lie in the positions illustrated in FIG. 7. Inthese positions, the three splints 33-35 very approximately lie at thevertices of an imaginary triangle which is a substantially equilateraltriangle. It will be appreciated in this connection that the splint 33passes between the ankle and below the back of the patient 30approximately below the shoulder blade, splint 34 passes between theankle and the armpit of the patient, while splint 35 passes between theankle and the left nipple of the patient 30.

Whilst the straps 41-45 were loosely located in the position illustratedin FIG. 7 by engagement of the respective hooks 14 with a selected oneof the apertures 17; after the splints 33-35 have been positioned, thestraps 41-45 can be tightened by pulling the free ends of the extensionstraps 12. This action firmly braces the three splints 33-35 around theleft leg 31 and thus immobilizes the leg, particularly against rotation.The patient 30 is then able to be transported from the site where thefracture occurred, to hospital.

As illustrated by dotted lines in FIG. 7, the straps 43-45 can be passedaround both the left leg 31 and the right leg 32 so as to clamp bothlegs of the patient 30 together, if this is desirable for the particularnature of the patient's injuries.

As also illustrated in FIG. 7, the ends of the splints 33-35 adjacentthe patient's armpit can be retained within the pocket 50 provided onstrap 41. Straps 42-45 are not required to have the pocket 50 but if thepocket 50 is provided the splints 33-35 pass over these pockets.

FIG. 8 illustrates in a cross-sectional view, how the splint 1 passesbetween the base strap 11 and the securing strip 15.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the first aid arts, that thestrap 20 of FIGS. 4 and 5 can be used in substantially the same way asthe strap 10 of FIG. 3 however, additional, or alternative, tighteningof the strap 20 can be achieved by inflating the interior 23.

An alternative arrangement of using the straps 20 is illustrated in FIG.9. Here the splints 33-35 are arranged around the leg 31 in the samemanner as illustrated in FIG. 7, however, each of the straps 20 in thisembodiment is located outside of the splints 33-35 prior to inflation ofthe base strap 21. When the base strap 21 is inflated, the situationillustrated in FIG. 8 is reached in which the inflated base strap 21holds the splints 33-35 in position.

It will be apparent from FIG. 9 that the splints 33, 34 and 35 lieapproximately at the vertices of a triangle which is preferably asubstantially equilateral triangle. In this way the splints 33-35securely brace the leg 31 against movement and particularly againstrotation about the longitudinal axis of the leg 31.

FIGS. 10 to 12 respectively illustrate how the splint 1 and straps 10,20 can be used to splint a broken forearm, a broken upper arm and abroken lower leg respectively. For each of these injuries, the overalllength of the splint 1 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is not required.Therefore the splint 1 can be either folded in half, or in quarters asillustrated in FIG. 2 and used as appropriate for the length of thebroken portion of the limb. If desired, the splint 1 can pass through aselected aperture 17 as illustrated in FIG. 8 or, alternatively, asillustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12, the splint 1 can be located intermediatethe broken limb and the strap 10, 20.

A still further strap 80 is illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14. This strapis formed from a length of neoprene foam. A strip 81 of fabric is sewnalong the strap 80 for a portion of its length in order to reduce itselasticity. As illustrated in FIG. 15 the straps 80 can be wrappedaround a splint 1 and secured by a peg 82. Because the strap 80 is ableto be stretched to a substantial extent the degree of firmness of thestrap's binding about the patient is determined by the degree ofextension of the strap 80.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, a plurality of straps 80, pegs 82 and splints1, is able to be located within a convenient carry pouch or bag 85having a shoulder strap 86.

Turning now to FIG. 17, it will be appreciated that it is sometimesdifficult to pass the straps 10, 20 or 80 underneath a patient withoutdisturbing him and therefore possibly causing further injury. In orderto overcome this problem the ends 8 of the opposite end tubes 2 and 5(FIGS. 1-3) are shaped to releasably engage a cross piece 87 (FIG. 17).A strap 80, for example, is located over the cross piece 87 asillustrated in FIG. 17 and then pushed under the patient by pushing theends 2, 5 of the splint 1 (in its folded in half configuration) underthe patient. After the strap 80 has been pushed through, it can then begrasped from the other side. At this stage the splint 1 can be withdrawnfrom under the patient and returned to its extended configuration shownin FIG. 1.

This procedure can be used to locate the straps 80 in FIG. 18 underneaththe patient during each turn of the strapping procedure. FIG. 19illustrates an alternative form of arranging the four tubes 2-5 duringsplinting of the lower leg so as to better immobilize it againstrotation.

Turning now to FIG. 20, in the event of a neck injury such as whiplashor broken neck vertebra, it is possible to wrap the bag 85 around thepatient's neck and secure it in place as a temporary neck brace usingthe carry strap 86.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 in relation to strap 41, it is particularlydesirable for the strap adjacent the patient's armpit to have a pocket50. The purpose of the pocket 50 in relation to the patient's armpit isbest understood in relation to FIGS. 21 and 22 which illustrate an ankletensioning strap. One problem with broken femurs is that it is highlydesirable that the leg which is broken be retained in longitudinaltension. This prevents the natural contraction of the muscles drawingthe broken ends of the bone towards each other and sliding past eachother.

As seen in FIG. 21, the ankle tensioning strap 61 is provided with acenter portion 62 split into three bands 63-65. The center portion 62 isalso provided with two extensions 66 and 67 at opposite ends thereof.The extensions 66, 67 are each provided with a series of holes 68.

As seen in FIG. 22, the ankle tensioning strap 61 is able to be passedover the ankle 70 of the patient's broken leg. One of the bands 63passes over the upper surface of the patient's foot, whilst the centerband 64 passes towards the rear of the heel of the patient's foot andengages with the skin in the region of the Archilles tendon. Theremaining band 65 is either unengaged or engages the "corner" betweenthe sole and the heel.

With the ankle tensioning strap 61 so arranged relative to the ankle ofthe patient, the extensions 66, 67 are then stretched and a selected oneof the holes 68 on each of the extensions 66, 67 is engaged with thefree ends of the splints 33, 34. A pin 88 can be used for this purpose.

Since the ankle tensioning strap 61 is preferably made from rubberimpregnated fabric, the strap 61 exhibits a substantial degree ofresilience. As a consequence, by stretching the extensions 66, 67 andsecuring same relative to the splints 33, 34 then the center band 64, inparticular, draws the ankle 70 of the patient away from the patient'ship.

Naturally, the force exerted on the patient's ankle 70 by means of theankle tensioning strap 61 results in an equal and opposite force beingapplied to the splints 33, 34. This force is easily able to be overcomesince the other end of the splints 33, 34 is restrained against such aforce by means of the pocket 50 as illustrated in FIG. 7. The strap 41,for example, including the pocket 50 is easily able to be immobilized bybeing tightened around the patient's chest.

It will be apparent that FIG. 22 is somewhat schematic in that the thirdsplint 35 of FIG. 6 is not illustrated in FIG. 22 since only two splints33, 34 are required for the tensioning process. It will be apparent tothose skilled in the art however, that the ankle tensioning strap 61illustrated in FIG. 17 is preferably used in place of the strap 45illustrated in FIG. 7. In this way, the leg 31 of the patient 30 in FIG.7 can be maintained under longitudinal tension for the duration of theperiod in which the patient's leg is splinted.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

It will be apparent that the above described arrangements have manyadvantages. The splints are able to be readily assembled anddisassembled and transported in a compact configuration. Similarly, thestraps are able to be rolled into a compact ball when not in use.Although a kit of such splints and straps is able to splint brokenfemurs it is also able to splint other broken limbs and thus has wideapplication for both civilian and military first aid use. Furthermore,the apparatus can be used at night by sense of touch alone since thereis no ambiguity of construction.

The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present inventionand modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art, can be madethereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

We claim:
 1. A method of splinting a patient having a leg with afracture of the femur, said method comprising the steps of straighteningsaid leg if necessary, positioning three substantially rigid splints toextend between substantially the ankle of said leg and the armpit regionof said patient, arranging said splints to be at the vertices of atriangle when said leg is viewed in transverse cross-section , andsecuring said splints so arranged to the body of said patient.
 2. Amethod as claimed in claim 1 wherein said splints are secured by passinga plurality of straps around said splints and patient and tighteningsaid straps, said straps being positioned at longitudinally spacedlocations along the patient's body.
 3. A method as claimed in claim 2wherein one of said straps passes around the chest of said patient, asecond of said straps passes around the waist of said patient, a thirdof said straps passes around the thigh of said leg or around both thighsof said patient, a fourth of said straps passes around the knee of saidleg or around both knees of said patient, and a fifth of said strapspasses around the ankle of said leg or around both ankles of saidpatient.
 4. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein one of said straps issecured around the chest of said patient and includes restraining meansto restrain the longitudinal movement of at least two of said splintstowards the head of said patient, and the ankle of said leg isresiliently secured to said at least two splints to urge said ankle awayfrom said head to thereby place said leg in longitudinal tension.
 5. Amethod as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein at least one of said strapssecured around the patient has a hollow portion which is at leastpartially inflated with a fluid.